Dominican and Panamanian Presidents Exchange Ceremonial Honors

Dominican President, Leonel Fernández, and Panamanian President Martín Torrijos Espino and their Foreign Ministers exchanged official honors on Monday in a joint ceremony at the Ambassadors Hall of the National Palace. President Fernández bestowed the Gold Cross Plaque of the Duarte, Sánchez & Mella Merit Award upon his Panamanian counterpart, a state distinction contained in Decree 430-09, according to the President’s Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

Both Heads of State recited elegies and confirmed the friendship that has developed over this period.  

Panamanian President Espino bestowed the National Gold Cross Extraordinaire Decoration of the Order of “Vasco Núñez de Balboa” on President Fernández in honor of his relevant merits. Both Heads of State recited elegies and confirmed the friendship that has developed over this period.  

At the same event, the Foreign Ministers of both countries also exchanged honorable distinctions. Under Decree 431 in effect since June of this year, the Executive Power conceded the Gold Cross Plaque of the Duarte, Sánchez & Mella Merit Award upon Samuel Lewis Navarro, First Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama. Dominican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Morales Troncoso, received the National Gold Cross Decoration of the Order of “Vasco Núñez de Balboa” for his relevant merits.

The Presidents were accompanied by their respective wives Margarita Cedeño de Fernández and Vivian de Torrijos.

The wife of Panama’s Vice President, Ana Gretel de Lewis, and the Dominican Foreign Minister’s daughter Nicole Morales attended the ceremony.

Also present was Dominican Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, and his wife, Martha de Alburquerque, as well as President Fernández’s State and Administrative Secretaries César Pina Toribio and Luís Manuel Bonetti. The Panamanian Ambassador in the DR, Miroslava Rosa, among others, was at the official event.